Regenerative Agriculture
With the earth's ecosystems already in crisis, we must move beyond sustainability into regeneration.
SUSTAINABILITY PRESERVES THE STATUS QUO. REGENERATION REVERSES IT.
Everyone knows about sustainability. The core idea behind sustainability is to "do no harm". But when so much harm has already been done, fighting climate chaos means we must go further and undo past damage. Regenerative agriculture presents us with a way forward: it uses technologies and practices that restore and revitalize both the soil and agricultural land's surrounding environment. According to Regeneration International, regenerative agriculture "is dynamic and holistic, incorporating permaculture and organic farming practices, including conservation tillage, cover crops, crop rotation, composting, mobile animal shelters and pasture cropping, to increase food production, farmers’ income and especially, topsoil."
Regenerative agriculture is finally getting some mainstream attention: a recent article in Vogue describes how regenerative agricultural practices are starting to take off in the fashion industry, a notoriously destructive and short-sighted industry. Hopefully more news coverage of this essential step in fighting climate chaos will lead to a popular expectation that companies get on board.
Regenerative agriculture brings a lot of hope: reversing climate change, creating drought-resistant soil, preserving indigenous knowledge of land, nurturing biodiversity, and improving nutrition. It doesn't just regenerate nature; it can regenerate people's faith in our ability to thrive with nature.
What will regenerative agriculture accomplish?
This list is by Regeneration International and can be read in full here.
Feed the world: Small farmers already feed the world with less than a quarter of all farmland.
Decrease GHG emissions: A new food system could be a key driver of solutions to climate change.
Reverse climate change: We can actually reverse climate change by increasing soil carbon stocks.
Create drought-resistant soil: The addition of organic matter to the soil increases the water holding capacity of the soil.
Revitalize local economies: Family farming represents an opportunity to boost local economies.
Preserve traditional knowledge: Understanding indigenous farming systems reveals important ecological clues for the development of regenerative organic agricultural systems.